Fall 2015/Winter 2016

Cheers for the Foundation!

CEO Pat Tursi presents honoree Michael Gallagher with a piece of “wheel art.”

On October 29th, friends of the St. Elizabeth Seton Children’s Foundation came out to support the Foundation’s first

Wine Tasting Event at the Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center. Guests enjoyed an evening of lite fare and a sampling of wines chosen by Stephen Mancini, the wine director and owner of Restaurant North in Armonk. During the evening, we honored Michael Gallagher, a junior at Fordham Preparatory School, who rode his bicycle across the country in support of our residents, raising nearly $4,000. “Our Wine Tasting Event was a great success,” said MaryLou Pagano, Vice President of Institutional Advancement. “It’s so important for us to be able to share the work we do with others and to have them meet our children. Once you meet them, it’s impossible not to want to do your part and help them reach their

Stephen Mancini pours the wine samples for our guests.

greatest potential!” she said. Visit facebook.com/setonpediatric to see more pictures from our Wine Tasting Event.

Wine Tasting Event attendees Benny and Michele Caiola.

PAGE 3 “Chopped”

PAGE 4 Fall Festival

PAGE 5 90th Birthday Surprise

Letter from Pat Tursi Dear Friends, The last few months have been filled with events that have become staples for the Foundation (“Festival Fun in White Plains” and “Ride for Our Children”), as well as new celebrations that we hope turn into lasting traditions (“Cheers for the Foundation!”). This year, a unique holiday tradition began at the Pediatric Center thanks to the mother of one of our residents. Dyan Stephens Brown, Dylan’s mom, made some of our residents’ rooms a little more joyful through her “Holiday Card Project.” Dyan (pictured below with Dylan), along with her friends and family, brought the magic of the holidays to the residents who live on her daughter’s neighborhood by adorning each child’s room with festive, personalized holiday cards. Next Christmas, it’s Dyan’s dream to decorate all 137 resident rooms! Family is truly at the heart of everything we do across our Continuum and we are so touched by the sense of kinship that has been created amongst our children, our families, our staff and, of course, by you – our friends and supporters. We are thrilled that our mission has touched the lives of so many people who want to make a difference for our children (“A Merry and Bright Christmas” and “With a Little Help from Our Friends”). It is important as more and more medically complex children and their families seek our services that we have the philanthropic support to meet their needs. The generosity of our friends is what allows us to continue to grow and expand (“Barbara Family Bets on the Foundation” and “‘Chopped’ Winner Donates $10,000 Prize to the Foundation”) and for that we are grateful. Each child deserves the opportunity to reach his or her greatest potential and that is our aim. We know that with our dedicated caregivers, and your ongoing support, we will continue to meet this goal. Sincerely,

Pat Tursi CEO of the Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center

A Merry and Bright Christmas This holiday season, more than 40 individuals, corporations and foundations donated gifts to the children we care for across our Continuum at the Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center, the John A. Coleman School and the Children’s Rehabilitation Center! We are so very grateful to all those who helped us to spread cheer and bring smiles to our children and their families during this very special time of year. To learn about how you can make a difference for our children year-round, please visit setonpediatric.org/donate. PAGE 2

Bayley’s Bulletin gives the St. Elizabeth Seton Children’s Foundation the opportunity to communicate news and events from across the organizations that comprise our Continuum of Care – the Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center, the John A. Coleman School and the Children’s Rehabilitation Center. If you know someone who would like to be on our mailing list, or if you have ideas for future issues, please let us know. Contact Sarra Young at (914) 226-3004 or [email protected] EDITOR Sarra Young, St. Elizabeth Seton Children’s Foundation ASSISTANT EDITOR Karen Moya, Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Sarra Young, St. Elizabeth Seton Children’s Foundation Nicole Reynolds, John A. Coleman School Chris Marksbury, CM Photos Joe Golden Chris Nealon, Christopher’s Studio Articles without attribution are written by the editor. © 2016 St. Elizabeth Seton Children’s Foundation Articles or material may be reproduced with permission only. The organizations within our Continuum of Care are sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of New York.

Barbara Family Bets on the Foundation On September 26th, the Barbara Family Foundation hosted a Monte Carlo Night for the benefit of the St. Elizabeth Seton Children’s Foundation at the Leewood Golf Club in Eastchester. The Barbara Family Foundation was established by the four Barbara siblings, Angela Barbara Chianese, Diane Barbara Kenney, Paul Barbara and Matthew Barbara, in honor of their parents and grandparents who were pillars of charity and compassion in their own lives. The mission of their foundation is to raise money to support children’s charities and individual children in need. “There was no doubt after [we visited the Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center] that the children of the Pediatric Center

Diane Barbara Kenney and her husband, Bob, present Pat Tursi with the proceeds from the Monte Carlo Night during our Wine Tasting Event.

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“Chopped” Winner Donates $10,000 Prize to the Foundation A dash of love, a sprinkle of tenderness and a heaping spoonful of generosity

were the main ingredients that chef Raffaele Ronca of Rafele Ristorante in

A jumbo check for a jumbo prize! Chef Raffaele Ronca (left) with Capital Campaign Committee Member Franco D’Alessandro and CEO Pat Tursi.

New York City used when he competed on behalf of the St. Elizabeth Seton Children’s Foundation in the season premiere of Food Network’s hit show, “Chopped,” on January 5th. Chef Raffaele emerged as the victor on the reality-based television cooking contest, which pits four talented chefs against each other, the clock and a mystery basket of unusual ingredients. According to Raffaele, the children who are served by the Foundation were his greatest motivation. Raffaele first met some of our children last year when he visited at the suggestion of Franco D’Alessandro, who is both one of his closest friends and an esteemed member of the Foundation’s Capital Campaign Committee. “Raffaele was drawn to our children,” said MaryLou Pagano, Vice President of Institutional Advancement for the St. Elizabeth Seton Children’s Foundation. “When I first visited, I had been feeling a little down. Then I met all these kids and CONTINUED ON PAGE 7 PAGE 3

Festival Fun in White Plains The St. Elizabeth Seton Children’s Foundation hosted its 2nd Annual Fall Festival on October 18th at the John A. Coleman School and the Children’s Rehabilitation Center in White Plains. This year’s event featured festive games, food, arts and crafts, live music and even a petting zoo! Thanks to the support of our charitable sponsors, our Fall Festival raised more than $50,000. More than 250 Coleman School students, Children’s Rehabilitation Center patients, their families, our neighbors, supporters and staff came

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out to this fun event. Attendees enjoyed delicious food from White Plains Fire Fighters Local 274, who once again cooked their famous homemade chili, finger food from the Candlelight Inn in Scarsdale and freshly popped popcorn sponsored by the Greenburgh Police Benevolent Association, delicious sandwiches for everyone, courtesy of Willy Ryan, proprietor of Roosters Market and bottled water thanks to Poland Spring. “We were so thankful to have such amazing participation from the entire

St. Elizabeth Seton Children’s Foundation community,” said Maureen Tomkiel, Executive Director of the Coleman School. “Despite the chilly day and even a few snow flurries, everyone came together for a truly heartwarming afternoon,” she said. Brian Harrington, Senior Vice President of Institutional Advancement, agreed. “Sunday’s event was a fundraiser,” he said, “but in so many ways it felt like a family get together and that, in and of itself, is a huge gift.” For more pictures from our Fall Festival, please visit facebook.com/jacschool.

Happy Birthday, Mrs. Macon! On October 9th, Mrs. Joanna Macon, a former teacher assistant at the White Plains campus of the John A. Coleman School, celebrated her 90th birthday. This milestone was made even more extraordinary when Mrs. Macon’s friends and colleagues at the Coleman School surprised her with a birthday party to commemorate her special day! Mrs. Macon began her career at the Coleman School in 1964, when it was

known as the St. Agnes Hospital Children’s Rehabilitation Center. Mrs. Macon retired in 2003, though she continued to volunteer at the school until 2005. “Mrs. Macon is like a mother to me and I’ve learned so much from her,” said Stephanie Harris, a teacher at the Coleman School, who organized the festivities. “She is an inspiration to me

and so many of my colleagues who had the privilege of working with her. She showed me how to meet the children ‘where they are’ and to build on what they give you, even if it’s just a light in their eyes or a smile across their face,” she said. “I had worked with her myself for over 30 years and she was my ‘guardian angel’ when I was just a new supervisor,” said Maureen Tomkiel, Executive Director of the John A. Coleman School. “She would always stop by my office at the beginning of the day to inspire me with the simple words: ‘Divine Order.’ I carry her words with me to this day.”

More than 30 Coleman School and Children’s Rehabilitation Center employees celebrated Mrs. Macon’s birthday with her in the Rotunda of the Coleman School. Staff members baked desserts, thumbed through old photographs and yearbooks and exchanged fond memories. “It was an afternoon I’ll always cherish,” continued Stephanie, “and I know Mrs. Macon will, too.”

life,” she said. The Barbara Family Foundation’s Monte Carlo Night raised $50,000 for the St. Elizabeth Seton Children’s Foundation and these funds will be used to build a therapeutic Snoezelen room as part of the Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center’s

32-bed ventilator expansion. “We are so happy to have been able to provide a special place for your special children,” Angela added. “It has been a blessing to us as a family that we have been able to do whatever part we can for your children,” she said.

Barbara Family CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

would be this year’s recipient [of our Monte Carlo Night],” said Angela. “It was the needs of your children that moved us. It was apparent to us that these children were very special with extremely difficult lives and we could do something to help with their quality of

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“Ride for Our Children” The 2nd “Ride for Our Children” benefit for the St. Elizabeth Seton Children’s Foundation took place on November 21st at SoulCycle SoHo. Twenty-three dedicated friends of the Foundation took part in a 45-minute

indoor cycling session and their efforts raised more than $9,000 in support of the Hummingbird Campaign, the St. Elizabeth Seton Children’s Foundation’s $6 million philanthropic effort to expand the Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center to

Circus Game If you take a walk around each of the campuses within our Continuum of Care, you’ll see hallways, classrooms, gyms and bedrooms teeming with sophisticated instruments, tools and toys that center on enhancing the quality of life for our children. The newest example of this is a Roaring ‘20s-themed “Circus Game” that is located in the Yonkers campus of the John A. Coleman School. This custom, hand-crafted, arcade-style adaptive switch toy was imagined by Elizabeth Izower-Lentini, a speech language pathologist at the Coleman School, and engineered in-house by Rob Messina, Vice President for Support Services. This collaborative effort took two years. “This toy was specifically designed for the population of children with profound disabilities we care for,” said Liz. With three different modes, including a manual mode with a joystick, a momentary single-switch activation mode and an automatic mode, each child can play at his or her own skill level. “We wanted this toy to be accessible to each child so that he or she could enjoy it and just have fun!” she said. PAGE 6

care for an additional 32 ventilatordependent children. To learn more about the Hummingbird Campaign and how you can contribute, please visit setonpediatric.org/newsevents/the-hummingbird-campaign.

With a Little Help from Our Friends Over the last few months, we have received an outpouring of support in the Westchester community and beyond from people who are inspired to help make a difference in our children’s lives. On September 29th, employees from CBSI Services visited the Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center to beautify our front yard by planting colorful fall mums. Also inspired by the fall season, our friends at Avison Young came to the Pediatric Center on October 15th to carve pumpkins to decorate our main entrance. On December 5th, nine students from Fordham Preparatory School strung Christmas lights across the Pediatric Center’s entryway to add some holiday sparkle to our building. On December 21st, Westchester Family Chiropractic and Wellness Center held “Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center Day.” Dr. Richard Davidson and his staff donated all the proceeds from their patient care appointments on this day to

Twinkle, twinkle! Our entryway was aglow this holiday season thanks to students from Fordham Preparatory School.

the Pediatric Center, which totaled more than $3,000 for our children. If you’d like to organize an event or a fundraiser for the benefit of the children

we serve, please contact MaryLou Pagano at (914) 597-4021 or e-mail [email protected] for details.

“Chopped” Winner Donates $10,000 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

Raffaele and Pat Tursi with Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center residents (from left to right): Desmond, Stephanie, Randy, Chelsea and Tiffany.

I realized that my problems were nothing,” Raffaele explained. “I knew that I wanted to make a difference and I said that if I won ‘Chopped’ that the winnings would go to help these children.” Chef Raffaele presented his $10,000 prize to the Foundation on January 19th during a special celebration held at the Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center. “$10,000 is a lot of money and I know it can make a change in their lives and ease their pain,” Raffaele said. “This generous gift will help tremendously to enhance the lives of the children we serve,” said Brian Harrington, Senior Vice President of Institutional Advancement. “Raffaele also was able to lend a national platform to the work that we do. We will be forever grateful to our friend, Raffaele, for his talent, selflessness and compassionate response to our children.” PAGE 7

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300 Corporate Boulevard South Yonkers, N.Y. 10701 Visit us at: www.setonpediatric.org

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SAVE THE DATE SAVE THE DATE SAVE THE DATE

Cherish the Child Spring Event Thursday, May 5, 2016 Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center Yonkers, N.Y. Honoring Shannon Gallagher with the St. Elizabeth Seton Legacy Award

Block Party Saturday, June 11, 2016 Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center Yonkers, N.Y.

Fall Festival Sunday, October 16, 2016 John A. Coleman School Children’s Rehabilitation Center White Plains, N.Y.

Mark your calendars and make time to join us! For additional information on these events, or to RSVP to our Cherish the Child Spring Event, please contact MaryLou Pagano, Vice President of Institutional Advancement, at (914) 597-4021 or e-mail her at [email protected].